“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

Perhaps this quotation explains a few things. By now everyone is familiar with the charges of “flip-flopping” that were hurled at Sen. Kerry during the 2004 election season. We are told that Barrack Obama is the candidate of “change”, although it appears to me that by “change” he really means “change my position as the winds may blow”. Even John McCain has changed his positions on a few things here and there. I know that I certainly have.

As we go through life, we learn, we are exposed to new idea, and if we are at all interested in growth we change our opinions as new information is presented to us. This isn’t a bad thing at all. The problem though comes when we change our positions for mere expediency, as it appears to me to be the case with Mr. Obama, or when we don’t hold to any principles at all and so are blown about on the breezes of popular fashion.